


Sorry, Don't Know Him

by oisforoblivion



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Edgar Allan Ravens (All For The Game), M/M, Post-Canon, USC Trojans (All For The Game), by which i mean mentions of a raven locker room, jean being happy :), jean's tattoo being removed, mentions of past trauma, there's french being spoken so proceed with caution (my french isnt good)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:46:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26634568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oisforoblivion/pseuds/oisforoblivion
Summary: Jean plays his first game with Trojans and his teammates as well as the lack of tattoo on his cheek makes him feel ridiculous. It's amazing.
Relationships: Jeremy Knox/Jean Moreau
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	Sorry, Don't Know Him

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by [this post](https://captive-foxhole-son.tumblr.com/post/629539002622623744/please-please-please-small-fic-about-the-jean-and) and was prompted by [this ask](https://captive-foxhole-son.tumblr.com/post/629513217112145920/what-tattoo-does-jean-get-to-cover-up-his-3-or) :)

“ _Non, non, non, je suis Jacques, je connais aucun Jean ou Riko, désolé. Alors, si tu peux laisser me passer…_ ”

As Jean was trying to navigate through persistent interviewers and admiring fans (with a humble expression, his hand hovering mid-air as an attempt to both ease the crowd and block some of the flashing cameras) he could feel a mischievous smile curling up on his lips. He wanted to scream in ecstasy. Throw his fucking fist in the air like the main character of a cheesy teen movie. The absurd mixture of adrenaline and the incoming attack he felt in his blood, curling and squeezing his stomach to the point of him being nauseous.

Walking straighter than he ever willingly could, he was barely just realizing how heavy the few drops of ink on his cheek was. The weight off his shoulders, the scene before him was clear, and he didn’t feel like he was going to trip with his every move.

He was free.

He was, unbelievably, free.

A short, amused snort escaped from his forced composure as he took his first step into the locker room, fortunately drowning under the yellings of the hectic room filled with the smell of victory. The Trojans were throwing jerseys back and forth, Alverez and Laila making out in a corner as two of their teammates whistled them on, beer cans passing hand-to-hand in a supposed to be discreet manner but comically failing… The room, larger than enough for their 26 member team, was alive with a person stirring something up in every corner imaginable.

Jean had never seen a picture as bizarre as this.

A Raven locker room often smelled disdain. Only noise would be from sarcastic and nasty regards, either against the opposing team or a team member who had decidedly low performance, or the new recruits who dared to open their mouths for a few seconds. Nevertheless, Ravens were pretty good at shattering any sign of will or courage pretty on.

Upon the inspection, the sight… the absolute stark this one had with his old team’s dizzied Jean. Messy instead of organised, loud instead of silent, hectic instead of calm. Void of animosity, malevolence, antagonism and overloaded with a sickening amount of support, cheer, love…

_Calmez-vous, Jean-_

“Great game everyone! This was an incredible start to the new season!”

Cheers increased upon the words of their captain, a lot more fists flew alongside hurled towels. Jeremy laughed as he grabbed the towels and passed them back at their owners, but chugged down the energy drink also thrown at him in seconds. Everyone seemed to be having the epitome of happiness while Jeremy complimented the team on their incredible team-work, and wished another round of luck for the newly recruits. It was then when he looked at Jean, corners of his eyes softly creased with a cocktail of approval, admiration and humor.

Everything they had here… it was so simple, yet so complicated with all the emotions they never stopped showing… Jean still couldn’t believe he was there. He couldn’t believe he made it out of _that place_ alive, that the people he still couldn’t help but refer to as “ _them_ ” were now his teammates, months have passed and the training was over and he _actually, really was_ fucking playing with Trojans _as a member of the team-_

And he had _Jeremy-_

“ _Pfft._ ”

It should’ve also drowned in the noise, but the person who had his eyes locked with him wouldn’t miss it. Jeremy questioningly raised his eyebrow, and made a small gesture with his head to point somewhere they can talk alone.

Jean was about to lose it by now. He had both his hands over his mouth, shoulders tense and doubled halfway over as he hardly dragged himself out of the room before someone noticed him. And when he did step out, he could no longer hold it in.

Thinking back, Jean could not remember a time where he laughed that much with no regard for a consequence. Explosion of the loud sound from his own mouth was strange, but it felt like the bubble expanding for years had finally popped. His stomach ached for reasons he never had before, volume increasing with each syllable until he found himself slid down the wall, knees at his chest while a hand caressed his shoulder. The person attached to it smiled at Jean as he waited for him to get calm, bent down next to him.

After minutes (or seconds) which passed in a breathless daze, Jean took his first normal breath. Although he needed more time to shake it completely off himself, he finally had the energy to give attention to the person next to him.

“Alright,” Jean said, still slightly winded. “You can,” -he took another breath- “rightfully say it to me now.”

His ridiculous smile hadn’t even wavered for a second. “I’ve got no idea what you mean.”

“Really? Okay, let me refresh your memory,” he commenced, clearing his throat to mimic Jeremy’s voice. “ _The first match will be a blast. All your worries right now will be gone the moment you jump to that court, and every doubt you have will be replaced with your firm trust in the team, but most importantly, yourself._ ”

“Oh that thing?” Jeremy dismissed with a wave of his hand. “That was for Jean, Jacques here obviously doesn’t need cheap pep-talks like that, does he?”

Jean couldn’t prevent another humourous snort. “So you’ve heard that.”

“ _Oui, monsieur_ ,” he replied with a horrible fake accent. “That’s the only French I know other than ‘ _je suis Jeremy_ ’, so count this as your lucky day.”

“Stop,” Jean said, wiping away tears left from the episode he just went through. “You’re gonna make me laugh again.”

“Then laugh, no one is holding you. Let laughing be the thing you can’t help yourself with. You deserve to be happy, never forget that.”

“I thought you said no more cheap pep-talks.”

It was Jeremy’s time to laugh. “Old habits are hard to leave. But I guess we’ll both have to learn, won’t we?”

“ _Tu ne peux pas t'empêcher, peux-tu?_ ”

Jeremy raised his brows. “I’ve got no idea what you just said, but I’m safely assuming that you were shit-talking me.”

Jean shrugged his shoulders. “ _Mmmm, je sais pas… Je pense que tu devrais apprendre le français, hmm?_ ”

“I’m just gonna say ‘ _oui_ ’ because whatever it is, you’re probably right.”

“ _C’est intelligent._ ”

“Ohh, that’s good,” Jeremy grinned from ear to ear. “You said ‘intelligent’, I like it.”

Jeremy got on his feet with a swift movement, holding out his hand to Jean. An expensive looking spotlight was right behind his head from where Jean was, shining on him like he was a celestial being. Jean might’ve stared at him longingly for more than a while, but he didn’t care. Jeremy must’ve thought the same as he didn’t break their contact, just slightly turning his head away when Jean eventually took the offer. Jeremy cleared his throat as Jean pretended that he didn’t see the faint blush on his cheeks, like a gentleman, and spoke.

“Should we, perhaps, go back in there?” Jeremy said, their palms lingering attached for a little more while.

Jean nodded with a smile. “You go, I’ll be there in a minute,” he said as he pointed at the washrooms.

Submerging his face in palm-full of water considerably calmed him down. Water sliding and dropping down from his untainted face, a blessed courtesy of a simple laser removal operation, matched perfectly with his grinning face.

Although the tattoo’s erasure could never wipe his past clean, Jean wanted the number gone for the empty slate which he called the future. He was taking action in becoming better, for himself, for others. And he hoped that post-Riko, and with a better administration of his old team, the others would too.

For the meanwhile, he thought he deserved to have some fun.

–

“Another perfect game, the second one of this very season for Trojans! Two weeks for two victories! Your team has never surprised but the exceptional performance we see on the court didn’t go unnoticed. Tell us, as a former member of the no longer existing ‘perfect court’, how does it feel to enter this season with a new Class I team?”

Jean laughed a bit as he feigned confusion. “I want to apologize as I don’t follow what you say.”

The reporter’s smile slightly faded, but he was able to put it back on immediately. “Well, we meant how the loss of your previous captain Riko affected your game for-”

“Jeremy Knox,” he answered as he gestured towards Jeremy who immediately caught on, “shows how outstanding and worthy he is of being the captain of the Trojans on every occasion. We surely owe him a huge part of our success.”

“I understand, yes umm, but what about Riko Moriyama-”

“Who?”

“ _Who?_ The number one in-”

Jeremy threw his arm around Jean that moment, laughing as he entered the interview short in breath, after a tough game. “Heyy, awesome match today. I would like to congratulate the opposing team personally since I have the chance. It was really hard to keep up with them at times, great teamwork.”

“Jeremy Knox himself!” the reporter beamed with a flashy grin again. “Here, we were talking with your newest backliner about how the easing to Trojans has been going on for everyone. It must be a different adaptation process after Raven and Riko-”

“Haha, that’s nice though we’re not sure what you exactly mean so I think we can end this interview now.”

“But-”

“Good day people, love the work you do!”

They serenely walked away from the interviewer and cameraman who started after them in disbelief until they disappeared out of sight. To be honest, neither of them was absolute if the reason for that was solely because of the chaotic interview, since the fact that Jeremy’s arm was wrapped around Jean’s waist the whole way was another reality to digest for them.

“Sorry if I interrupted,” Jeremy grinned. “It looked fun.”

“Jeremy Good-Mannered Knox thought fucking with reporters was fun?” Jean narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, it was harmless!” he opposed. “Plus, what do you mean by that Jacques, you knew that Riko guy?”

“Jeremy, I’ll punch you on the mouth.”

“Only if you kiss it better afterwards.”

Jean laughed again. He was starting to get used to it for sure.

“Okay,” he smiled mischievously. “Want to make an appointment for our third match?”


End file.
